D.I.Y vs Professionally Done

Hi everyone! Hope you are all doing well .

It's no doubt that weddings cost a fortune these days. So many "must haves" that go into making a wedding,,, a wedding. We have been in the industry a while now and have seen the good, the bad and the ugly with D.I.Y. I'm all for taking on a few things to save some dollars. After all,, the glitz and glam is beautiful but in the end, they are all there as accents and the true beauty is the love that brought two peope together.

So, what are our thoughts on D.I.Y. vs Professionally Done? Here is my perspective.

The budget will allow what the budget will allow first and foremost. Be realistic with setting a wedding date and how much you know you will be able to save in that time frame. Set yourself up for wedding success when you look at everything you want to have and how much it will realistically cost to make it happen. Here are a few areas of D.I.Y. we have seen over the years.

D.I.Y. Invitations vs Professionally Done - You can find some really great places online that do deliver a really nice quality invitation. What you don't get is the consultant asking you about the logistics of the entire event. Which makes a huge difference! Invitations are your guests first impression of your big day. You want to make sure you have all the components you need so guests, especially ones coming from out of town, have all the information they will need to keep track of the events happening for your "wedding weekend". Also, the consultant will make sure there are no misspellings. Having to redo invitations due to misspellings throws cost saving D.I.Y. projects right out the window.

D.I.Y. Music vs Professional D.J. or Band - We have done quite a few events where the couple has plugged in an IPod to a speaker for their music. If you are have the event on your property it works out ok as those couples are wanting to have more of just a low-key gathering of friends and family. They don't have a deadline they have to follow as to when the event needs to be done and the need for "super formal" isn't really on their agenda. However, what they don't get is essentially someone who provides entertainment. D.J.'s or bands are the heart of what makes the event fun! We have had the privilege of working with some D.J's and bands that are out of this world! The best part of a wedding for us is seeing everyone up on the dance floor celebrating YOUR DAY! There is no IPod in the world that is going to get Grandma out of her chair and throwing down the moves.

D.I.Y. "Friendographer" vs Professional Photographer - I always always always tell our clients this is a splurge area. Sorry,, but it is. These are your memories. A professional photographer knows how to capture every aspect of the wedding so you can relive that day over and over again. Not much to say here. Go with a professional!